Although the air has cleared, it is still less than certain what effect Scotland's smoking ban has had on the pub trade.

Within the next few weeks, the Scottish Licensed Trade Association hopes to shed some light on the financial impact of making the country's public areas smoke-free.

With the first anniversary of the smoking ban coming up next month, it is surveying 1500 of its members - equivalent to roughly one-third of all pubs in Scotland - in an effort to find answers.

Colin Wilkinson, the trade association's secretary, says it is too soon to comment on what the survey might uncover. However, with some 200 forms having already been returned, plus the anecdotal evidence the association has collected, there are suggestions that the findings will not be positive.

"Generally, there is a feeling that trade is down," he said. "Some of the stories have been heartbreaking. There are a lot of people who have said this is going to finish them, and it is just a matter of how long that will take."

Whether that is the case remains to be seen, but as in any period of industrial change, there are winners as well as losers.

At the Failford Inn in the tiny eponymous village near Mauchline, in Ayrshire, there is little evidence of any backlash from the smoking ban.

Owners Chris and Michelle Kelsall say they have seen no downturn in the past 11 months, despite some dire predictions about the future of traditional rural pubs in the smoke-free era.

In less than four years of ownership, the two have more than doubled the establishment's turnover. They rely on a combination of varied food featuring locally-sourced ingredients, traditional music entertainment, themed dinner nights and the recent opening of the only pub brewery in Ayrshire.

Their efforts saw the Failford Inn take a runner-up slot in this year's Best Pub in Britain competition run by independent consumer organisation the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra).

There are a lot of people who have said this is going to finish them, and it is just a matter of how long that will take. Colin Wilkinson

Michelle said she and her husband were delighted with the result, as their original aspirations were far more modest.

"Even though we have come through all the stages, it has still caught us by surprise because our goal last year was to be runner-up in the (local) branch competition," she said after the results were announced last week.

Camra bases its judgments around a consumer's view of a pub - atmosphere, service and value for money. The quality of the real ales available, and the way in which they are served, is also paramount.

When the Kelsalls purchased the Failford Inn in May 2003, it marked the first time either of them had owned or run their own establishment.

Chris, now 35, spent the previous 12 years working as a chef for a large hotel chain across the Lake District and the south of England. Michelle, 30, had worked part-time in various pubs while pursuing a computer and business studies course, but gave that up for a job in computer support and web design at a multi-national telecoms firm in Reading, Berkshire.

When they met in 2002, they discovered they were both keen on the idea of owning their own pub. After deciding to get married, they started looking throughout the UK for their ideal location.

"A lot of other people probably would have bought a house together," Michelle said. "We bought a pub together."

With money from the sale of their previous homes, they purchased Failford and set about making it work on a shoestring budget.

Most of that work has now been completed, and the resulting rise in turnover has allowed staff numbers to increase from three part-time employees to three full-time staffers and a further four part-timers.

When it came to developing their business, the Kelsalls relied on their own personal preferences, along with suggestions from customers.

"On a day-to-day basis, we are running the sort of pub we would like to go out to," Michelle said. From the start, that included an emphasis on real ales brought in from around the country, followed quickly by planned entertainment and themed dinner evenings in the accompanying restaurant area.

"It is a rural pub, and that can be difficult," Michelle said. "You have got to have something that will convince people to travel to you.

"I think part of what keeps people coming back are the different events."

Towards the end of 2005, Michelle began thinking about putting a micro-brewery in one of Failford's old cellars. However, the capital investment would come to £40,000, and could not be financed from existing cash flow.

Two banks refused to back the venture, saying the Kelsalls had not been in business long enough to justify the expansion.

Family members became private investors, and together with a £5000 business development grant from South Ayrshire Council, the Windie Goat Brewery was opened in May 2006.

Michelle's crash course in brewing resulted in one of Windie Goat's regular draughts, Priest's Wheel, taking the top prize at the Troon Beer Festival in October 2006.

Although she cannot put a number to it, she is certain the brewery attracts customers.

"That is the great thing about being a brew pub. I am my only outlet, and I won't put anything on the bar that I am not happy with."

As for why the Failford Inn might be bucking the industry odds, Michelle recalls the words of a Dublin-based pub owner speaking at a small business conference during the run-up to Scotland's smoking ban.

"What he said was that the pubs that are thriving in Ireland (after that country's smoking ban) are the ones that have been pro-active.

"You can't just stand around with hands on hips, wondering where your customers are."